In the latest efforts to protect its Roundup® weed-killer at the expense of public health and transparency, Monsanto tried to prevent the state of California from labeling Roundup® a probable carcinogen. Fresno County Superior Court Judge Kristi Kapetan denied Monsanto’s request to prevent California from warning residents that Roundup® causes cancer in an initial ruling and said a formal decision would be released imminently.

In 2015, California was the first state to pursue this labeling of Roundup®. They did so when an esteemed branch of the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), classified glyphosate as a “probable human carcinogen” after an extensive study of peer-reviewed research. California attorneys explained that IARC is considered the “gold standard” for carcinogen identification and that California joins multiple states, the U.S. government, and numerous countries in relying directly on its findings. Glyphosate is also currently under review by the European Union and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Once California adds a chemical to the probable carcinogens list, the manufacturer has one year before they have to attach a warning label.

Glyphosate is the key ingredient in Roundup®, the linchpin to the success of Monsanto’s genetically modified (GMO) Roundup®-tolerant crops, and earns Monsanto millions. Attorneys for Monsanto attempted to discredit the IARC and expressed concern that the labeling of Roundup® as carcinogenic would hurt Monsanto’s bottom line.

Teri McCall is in the process of suing Monsanto; her husband used Roundup® on their farm for decades and died of cancer in 2015. US News shares these words from McCall; “I just don’t think my husband would have taken the risk if he had known” (usnews.com).

Monsanto has also engaged in a direct assault on IARC findings and world-renowned scientists through threats, intimidation, insults and most recently, a sensationalized media campaign. Along with other chemical industry corporations in the American Chemistry Council, Monsanto backed the formation of a group named “Campaign for Accuracy in Public Health Research” (CAPHR). The campaign’s site states that, “In particular, CAPHR will seek reform of the International Agency for Research on Cancer’s (IARC) Monographs Program, which evaluates the carcinogenic hazard of substances and behaviors,” and their Twitter account says IARC makes “sensational claims” (americanchemistry.com).

Monsanto carries out ungrounded attacks on established scientific methods and findings and states in court that their concern lies primarily with the financial consequences of their product being labeled probably carcinogen. These actions clearly reveal Monsanto’s long-held people-over-profit mentality. The Miller Firm has filed numerous lawsuits to hold Monsanto accountable for concealing glyphosate’s carcinogenic properties, which caused thousands to develop Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

The Miller Firm is presently accepting and representing clients who developed Non-Hodgkin lymphoma after exposure to Roundup®. If this has happened to you, please call the Miller Firm at 1-800-882-2525 or visit our Roundup Lawsuit page to request a free consultation.